


Sun-kissed

by NextWarden



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumbleby - Freeform, Divine AU, F/F, Gods, Humans, Romance, Sacrifice, Sun God
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29593365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextWarden/pseuds/NextWarden
Summary: She's not lived a long life, yet when the rays of the sun finally pass over her she'll leave this world. Why? For a reason she has come to accept as simple hatred. It's not complicated, just frustrating.However, when the sun finally kisses her skin, it does not hurt.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	Sun-kissed

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [then she faced the sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23120440) by [herwhiteknight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/herwhiteknight/pseuds/herwhiteknight). 



If anything else, the day had been gloriously beautiful. Blue skies stretched over the seemingly infinite forest, rare clouds which usually roamed the edges were nowhere to be seen, the wind was soft and warm and the air was hot. The celestial orb was shining high in the sky. Today was a beautiful day. Or it would have been if everything had not been tainted by the prospect of what was to come. Today was a beautiful day but today was a day of sacrifice, today was Sun-kissed.

…

She was bound by heavy chains to tall pillars and to the ground. The girl, a woman now, though she couldn't help but feel that she'd not nearly been part of this world for long enough to be called that, stood on the high platform under the massive stone ring. Her face, paler than it should have been, was set and her honey eyes stared straight ahead, but he knew how uneasy her heart must have felt. He could see her ears flat against her raven hair.

The whole of the arena was now hushed as they waited.

…

The voice boomed to all those present, making him flinch ever so slightly.

"Today is a good day, my people, for today is a Sun-kissed day. Today is a day of rejoice and mirth, for today we give back to the Sun for all that he has given us!"

The priest, a man of impressive stature, walked around the elevated stone disc which dominated the whole crowd despite being made lower to be visible by all.

…

Very soon. Not now, but very soon. They had to wait. Until the sun crossed the threshold and entered the ring, until, for a moment as short as a few beats, yet as long as an eternity, the light became too unbearable to look, then, before anyone had any time to react, they would strike. They would take care of him, hopefully before he'd taken care of her, and if all went well - and all would go well, it had to - they'd be out of the city before anyone could even lift a finger.

…

Almost. The Sun was just about to cross the threshold. Suddenly he saw the priest lift his arms into the air and, with all the majesty he knew him to be gifted with, he pulled out the blade. He brandished the sacred knife into the air and let its edge gleam into the eyes of the onlookers. The crowd gasped, with excitement or resignation he could not say. His mind was racing as he saw the unforeseen movement. This was too soon, he was going to skewer her before the sun had even touched her. This wasn't a sacrifice, it was simple murder…! His blood boiled and he looked Illia in the eye, hesitating for a second as he saw the same desperation in their eyes. As he was about to give the order - a preemptive strike made them more vulnerable, but she would die if they did no act, she would die thinking she'd been alone, scared and unwanted all her life - the Sun showed.

...

It was blinding, as it should be, but something was different, he felt it immediately on his skin. It was hot, not warm. He managed to open his eyes and saw the concentrated halo bathe the priest and his victim in so much luminosity they quickly became but faint shadows on the high platform. He wanted to curse but suddenly his mouth would not move, his body would not move, he was stuck in place, awed by the sight.

…

The intensity of the light had grown unnaturally, even for such a ceremony. Then, after a long silence, they heard a scream, ear-piercing and heart-breaking. Although they had only half expected a scream - most sun-kissed had not the time once the knife had struck - this one was nothing like they expected. It was deeper, more raw and afraid, very painful. Desperate, almost. It lasted long, too long, and when it finally died down it was in an unnatural gurgle. Then silence came again and the intensity of the light burned once more even brighter than it had until that point, for barely a heartbeat, and then it was gone. Once his eyes agreed to move again and his vision had returned to a cooperative state, he gasped at the sight. The platform was void of the two souls it had born until then. Gleaming as white as the day it had been built, as if it had been cleansed of all the impurities accumulated over the years. There was no trace of the girl, but neither of the priest. Or rather, the girl had purely and simply vanished, but now that he looked at the ground upon which she had been chained, he saw a frame, a faint shadow, carved into the white stone, one that eerily reminded him of the priest's frame...

…

Adam had been planning this for a long time, as soon as he had first seen her. He'd known who she was immediately, of course. No one would forget such a face, especially not him. He'd seared it into his mind every day and every night, hoping to meet again and to be able to smile into those eyes as life vanished from them under the Sun.

He hadn't expected the resistance, her ability to slip through his fingers at the most frustrating of times, nor had he expected her to be under the Moon's benediction - or rather he had expected yet had not truly believed until he had seen the breathtaking halo. Of course she was, so had been her parents and the rest of that damned family since they had chosen to run. He'd caught them all, of course. It had not been easy but it was well in his power. All except her, she was the last one, and then he'd be finally free of this duty, this curse.

…

He felt the warmth grow on his back and he knew. It would be soon. They expected him to wait, he knew it, until Zenith and then strike, but he had them beat for he wouldn't wait. He'd go just before, and nip both her life and their hopes in the bud. He drew the blade and felt the whole arena's breath hang on its edge. He smiled, turned to expose it to all of them as it gleamed in the sunlight.

…

Suddenly, and yet every so slowly, the Sun entered the threshold and the intensity of its light grew. It went from warm to hot, almost uncomfortably so. He readied his hand. Not much longer now. The intensity grew yet again, until it became uncomfortably so. He was bathed in the light, they both were, completely, the two of them had become mere shadows, he knew it. Now he only had to take her life and the crowd would be none the wiser. He readied his arm and smiled a beastly smile.

"Say goodbye to this life, princess."

She did not reply, her sobs, so strong in the night, had silenced with the rise of the sun and not a sound had escaped her lips since. It would have almost impressed him, perhaps even unnerved him, if his nerves had not been already so… tense? The sensation suddenly caught up to him, just as the blade touched her skin. Why was it so warm in here? It wasn't supposed to be- he hissed as he let the knife go, the hilt was scalding hot. Then his crown, hotter yet. Then he heard it, behind him. How, he didn't know. Light was not supposed to sound like that, it wasn't supposed to sound like anything. Yet this light had a crackle to it, as if it was thunder incarnated. He went to his knee and bent his head almost as soon as he saw the form. Her eyes were dimmer, that was the only way he knew she was there, everything else about her form was burning brightly. Her fiery hair flowed in a wild yet controlled mane, her arms were half extended to her side, and as her foot touched the ground it crackled too.

…

The form before her was beautiful. That was the first thing that came to mind as she looked up. She had expected to see him, hateful and full of venomous glee, staring down at her, ready to cut her breath short, but instead was faced with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Strangely, she wasn't perfect. Goddesses tended to leave that impression on mortals through the stories that were told of their grandeur: they were beautifully perfect, in every shape and form. But the frame before her was not. She was beautiful, that was undeniable, vastly more than anyone she had ever set eyes on before. But it was not the kind of beauty she had expected.

Her eyes were full of kindness, her smile lopsided, freckles donned her slightly tan skin, there were scars, many more than she had expected, big and small, dotting her body like stars. Her face felt older, not old, simply older, as if it had lived through a number of years and not been there, unchanged, since the dawns of time. The lines were kind, however, soft and caring. Her eyes, dimmer than the rest, were of a golden colour, more than yellow, yet she swore she could see a violet tint within. There was an especially wide scar on the fore of her right arm, as if she'd been burnt - how could a goddess of the Sun herself have been burnt she didn't know, but it was so. She wore something like a dress but it was difficult to discern under the intense light. It displayed the strength that visibly rippled under her skin in such a way that if her face had not been already red from the sunburn, Blake knew it would have gotten that way at the sight. Finally there was her voice. It rang so loud and profound she did not immediately realize she was the only one who could hear it. Her words flowed graciously and gently, yet their sound was slightly deeper than she had expected, gravely almost, and full of care.

"Come. Let us get you out of those chains. Then, if so you wish, I may take you with me."

It wasn't a question, yet not an order either. It was fact. She was going to set her free. She felt the calloused yet gentle fingers settle on her shoulder then on her arm, she heard the clinkle of chains and then she was light. She was free.

…

Her eyes were closed. She felt the lips on her forehead differently than she had expected. Nothing had been as she had expected, she thought. Then there was silence and warmth. Then came the most beautiful and heartening laugh she had ever heard.

"You can open your eyes."

…

"Is this the afterlife?", she heard herself ask, still dazed.

"In a way, it is after your life, yes. This is neither one of the places you might have expected. This is my home. And you are not dead, not yet. I have simply brought you back with me."

She couldn't help but look around. There were plants and flowers of many kinds around her. They were near what seemed to be an outdoor porch.

"Why?"

"Why have I brought you here?"

"If not because of my death, yes?"

The goddess looked at her for a moment. One she quickly felt was too long, there were many things in those pale violet eyes and despite the lack of the bright glow that had previously been there, she found she couldn't look at them directly much longer.

"The answer is… complex."

Blake made the mistake of looking up and found herself entirely too flustered when the gaze was even closer to hers. She couldn't look away though, not out of fear but out of pure fascination, there was something in that divine face that made her almost definitely absolutely sure she did not want to look away and somehow, however weird or strange that might have been, it felt as if the one before her could not either. Then the goddess stepped back and the moment was gone. She cleared her throat and the goddess smiled gently.

"I apologize."

Blake was about to ask for what when the goddess spoke again.

"I do not mean to belittle your interrogations or to fit the image of the vague divine, however this question - and I believe others - are complex in their meaning and I am not sure how to answer fittingly, or even if you are ready for such answers. I do not mean to keep anything from you so, if you wish to know, know that you are free to ask. I must humbly ask for a while to compose a way to give you a satisfying answer, however, if you would be so kind to allow me..."

"Of course!", Blake breathed more than she replied, not feeling entirely too comfortable having a goddess apologizing to her.

…

"Would you want something to eat while I ponder how to answer your questions?"

"Yes please!"

She hadn't realized it but she was parched and starving. She hadn't eaten anything since… The knot in her stomach almost returned. They'd not given her anything, not even water, since throwing her in that cell three days prior. She'd been famished and dehydrated, such was the protocol for a sacrifice to the Sun: fasting of all but sunlight so as to prepare a pure offering. How her stomach had not grumbled before or her throat not become sore earlier she hardly understood. She was not in the mortal realm anymore, she realized, perhaps it explained some of it?

"Follow me, I should have something around here," the tall blonde woman before her smile before leading her towards one end of the garden. She followed.

"It's… beautiful," she heard herself whisper as her eyes flew over it.

The garden was wide and lush, it seemed to extend into infinity in every direction. She realized later as she toured the home, that it was both true and an illusion. It looked like it went on forever if one were to gaze upon it, and it woul, were that same one to walk up and down the serene paths of beautiful flowers and bushes and fruit trees and fountains and statues and grass and clover. Everything was warm and calm and lush. Yet, as they walked past it and towards the elegant building that rose neary, she could clearly see it confined in a finite and enclosed space.

They passed through a huge archway into a corridor and entered a room leading to another, what seemed to be a large kitchen. It was simple yet spacious and held both a pleasant atmosphere and pleasant smells. The goddess walked to a shelf and grabbed a jar made of something akin to glass but of metallic black colour, then she took another, that one in white porcelain, and handed the first one to Blake before walking towards the terrace which opened on the gardens. She didn't know if she should follow at first but did when she saw the goddess sit on one of the chairs around a table.

"Sit here if you wish," the goddess pointed at the chair opposite her.

She sat and placed the jar on the table. The goddess waited a breath and clapped her hands twice with a smile. Two plates and a pair of glasses appeared on the table, both were made of fine, carved and polished wood of a beautiful vibrant brown colour.

"Here," the goddess opened the dark jar and immediately a sweet smell permeated the air between them, "help yourself. Some water?"

Blake nodded. The goddess grabbed the empty porcelain jar and as soon as she tilted it enough, water came pouring out softly into the glass.

"How…?", Blake was about to ask when she realized the absurdity of her question.

The amused chuckle that echoed her silence told her that it would have at least been funny if not stupid had she completed her question. The cookies looked, smelled and tasted delicious. The water was refreshing, almost sweet too. She couldn't help a content sigh as she tasted them.

…

They ate like this in silence for a moment, the goddess pouring herself a glass of water she downed slowly but munching through three of the delicious cookies. Blake found it hard to resist them yet they were so filling that despite her hunger she only managed to down two cookies. She drank her fill of water, however, looking apologetic each time she did, but the goddess made no remark nor seemed to pass any judgement, simply nodding encouragingly once or twice.

"It was made to be eaten, you know."

"By you?"

"Yes. As was everything here."

"Everything?"

"All that may fall under your eye. With one or two exceptions, perhaps," she said, eyeing Blake and herself.

She stood and took the black jar and the dishes back into the kitchen once they had settled in the comfortable lull of fuller stomachs. Blake couldn't help her gaze, she followed the tall woman as she moved from the terrace to the counter then to the sink, watched her shoulders and her arms ripple as she rinsed the plates - they too were full of freckles she noticed as the goddess had left her shawl on the chair. Then followed as she moved from the sink to the same shelf as earlier, placing the black jar back on it. She noticed the goddess hadn't exactly been wearing a dress so much as a light beige onepiece that acted like a sleeveless shirt and rather baggy trousers. It was the floating overflow of cloth and the shawl that had given that impression in the bright moment she had appeared. She wore light leather sandals with straps going up her calf and she would probably have followed their twisting up her leg had she not realized the goddess was now immobile.

"Like what you see?"

The goddess was leaning against the counter, one hand rested upon it, the other on her hip, as she held herself on her powerful arm. There was a small smirk at the corner of her mouth and a playful spark in the depth of her lilac eyes.

"I- sorry, I didn't mean to- it's…", Blake swallowed the rest of her water with difficulty, "It's just not every day one has a goddess in front of their eyes."

She nodded, the air of mischief still present on her face.

"And does this goddess satisfy the image you had of her?"

"Wha- Yes!", she immediately replied before correcting herself. "No. Wait… I mean…", she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"You are a Sun goddess, it is undeniable. Perhaps not exactly the image I had of one…"

The goddess seemed to know what she meant. Blake had expected divinity, and she had gotten it, simply in a different way. She had expected the radiance and the power, but the kindness behind the lines, the freckles, the many scars that riddled the skin and muscles were a surprise. Just as the garden and the house themselves had been, and the interior of it too, such elegant yet simple things, naturally beautiful.

"But you are of the divine. Your beauty, your hospitality and your powers are all marks of that. I mean, you descended from the Heavens as bright and blazing as a star, and rendered a man into a pile of dust with your gaze", she flinched ever to slightly at the image, "before bringing me to this strange, wonderful place which, I realize now, I don't truly know the location of… You even gave me a tour and let me taste such delicacies as were your cookies and your water."

The goddess placed the towel on the counter and came back to sit at the table.

"And what do you think of it?", she smiled gently.

"Of the food, the beverage or this place?"

"All of it."

"It is wonderful. As wonderful as you are."

"Flattery will lead you very few places, you know," an eyebrow shot up to her hairline.

Blake shrugged.

"It is the truth."

The goddess humphed.

"Then I must return the compliment. I am not the only deserving of such praise," her smile was playful, her eyes too, yet it felt as if something was mixing itself in their amused light.

Blake opened her mouth slightly to speak but found no words to say or witty comment to retort, so she remained silent. The goddess had turned to watch the gardens. Only the sound of the distant fountains and the rustling of leaves came to them as a strangely comfortable lull took over.

"Do you not approve?", the goddess's brows were slightly furrowed.

"Of what?", Blake asked, unsure.

"Of what I did to that priest."

She hesitated for a second. What was she to say?

"Please speak freely", the goddess encouraged her with a half-hearted movement of the hand.

"I… he was a despicable man."

"But you do not approve entirely."

"No," she sighed. "I despise- despised him. For what he did to my family despite our only wish to live freely, for what he did to many others, too many innocents, for what he did to me…"

She remained silent for a while longer, not daring to look up at the goddess in front of her if her eyes were to be filled with divine anger.

"I despised him, and he deserved punishment, that I do not deny. Yet that which you gave him… He was flawed and scornful yet he must have been more devout to you in his entire life than I ever believe to have been, and you invoked more than death upon him: you recused him by your own hand, reducing all that devotion, as misplaced as it may have been, to dust." Literally. "And so, as fitting a punishment it may have been, you have destroyed all that his life amounted to in that instant, before his very own eyes. I am not one to question justice and it is not my place to pass judgement on such things - especially not after what you have done for me, goddess - but, in all honesty, no. I cannot whole-heartedly approve."

The goddess was silent for a while. A while too long for Blake to not let her curiosity roam and so she lifted her head and looked into the gleaming pale violet of her eyes. There was no anger as she might have expected, no pity either, but understanding. And curiosity.

"What punishment I have seen fitting for him might have been harsh, yes, painful too, for his body as much as his spirit, but a divine can only look at such a man's achievements for so long and not judge, especially when they are erected upon blood and lies."

Blake nodded. She was but a mortal, she could not comprehend the depth of thoughts of such a being as the goddess before her was. But just as she could not quite grasp that distance which separated them, she could not ignore where she was and where she came from. And the goddess did not seem to mind so much. She saw the thick golden eyebrows furrow again, ever so slightly and the head cock to the side at a small angle.

"You said you believe you have not revered me as much as he has. Were you not devout in your life?"

The question did a way with her heart, her blood felt like it was going to freeze solid. Was this where she would have to answer for her actions in life? Was this the reason she had been brought to such a wonderful and soothing place? Was she to be torn from it when her guard was at its lowest and punished for all her misgivings? And this comfort offered only to be taken away as soon as hope or peace embraced her? She had not been religious so much as spiritual in her short years, but admitting to a divine being you were not believing was as grave a crime as any.

"I-", she hesitated.

She seemed to be doing that a lot recently. Admittedly, conversing with a goddess was by no means a path not treacherous. But divines could read human thoughts, she had been taught, they knew, so lying was no escape. Even if it was or had been, judgement would befall eventually as truth was laid bare. She could twist the words as much as she wanted, the truth did not change face. Once again she resolved herself, if it was to be so, then so be it.

"No. Not very much. Not as much as a divine such as you might deserve, at least. Definitely."

To her surprise, once again, no judgement passed through the lilac eyes.

"Have you revered others?"

"The Moon, when I was younger and my mother was still alive," Blake said after a while, her eyes glazing over slightly at the memories. "She used to sing to it on sleepless nights to drift me to dreams of her."

"Did it work?", the goddess asked, her voice tinted with curiosity.

"It did more often than not, even on really difficult nights. I've always held her in my heart since. The Moon I mean. My mother too, of course."

"But not the Sun?"

The tone wasn't indicative of judgement or an attack, a simple question.

"No… Not that I hate the Sun, I just haven't had a good experience with those who revered it…"

The goddess nodded silently.

"Am I here to be judged?", Blake asked, perhaps more suddenly than she had intended as the goddess looked at her with surprise.

"No, Blake. You are here as my invitee and as such you have nothing to fear from me or this place."

The tone was stern but honest and she felt a warm hand, gentle, on her own. She was surprised once again, this time at the fact that her name was known, but kept silent, recalling the nature of the presence in front of her.

"If you wish to go back to your earlier question, as to why I brought you here, I think I am ready to give you an answer."  
Blake nodded.

"Tell me if you are not satisfied with it."

The goddess paused.

"There are multiple facets to this answer. One of them is that I was called upon that land to receive a gift and that is what I have done. Why did I act before he could? I am not sure myself. I saw something in you, something that did not deserve to be used in this way, to be… sacrificed. I am not one for offers usually, I like not taking what is not mine and what wills not to be mine, but, there you were and had I not acted as I did, you would not have been for much longer. Not even an offering. But that is not all there is to what I see in you," she paused and scooted closer to her, eyeing her carefully, with a depth Blake was not used to but had a sudden hunch she might experience more often if she were to stay, "I cannot say for certain but I feel drawn to something in you, that is partly why I asked if you'd ever revered the Sun. I know not what; perhaps it is your beauty, that of your soul, or perhaps it is something else which I cannot see yet… That is why I say you are welcome here, Blake. Without reservation and with all the kindness I can give you. I cannot bring you back there, you have been offered and returning you would do no good, I trust you understand."

Blake nodded silently. She had taken the outreached hand for that precise reason. She knew how she would be viewed if she returned, either in good or in bad, it was too much and never had she wanted that in her life. The goddess continued, as gentle as she was pensive.

"I am not simply extending an empty welcome to make you comfortable, however. Understand that my offer is one that stems out of duty - you have been offered to me and I cannot refuse - but I make it with pleasure and of my own will. You are welcome here, for as long as you will have me, my home is yours to inhabit and my land is yours to walk. You are not bound to this place, however. If one day you wish to leave, I will not prevent you. That is not mine to decide. But know that returning to your world is not possible. In return, You may roam mine or that of beyond, yet here is the safest place you will find for now. I am sorry."

Blake had felt her heart clench as the goddess mentioned her not being able to return to her world, this faded as she felt the sincerity of the words that followed, and drew in a quiet breath when she was apologized to, once more, by the divine in front of her.

"It is not your fault, you have nothing to apologize for. They are the ones who have made me into a sacrifice, he is to blame," she made a conscious effort to unclench her fist. "You may have taken me here even so I did not wish for it, but you did it to save me. I will be missed by none and your home, from what I have seen of it, is wonderful; I know not what the future might bring but I do not think I will come to regret this fate. Not as much as any other that might have been mine in alternative."

She couldn't help the faint trace of a smirk on her lips, and the light scoff she received in return felt genuine.

"Then Blake Belladonna, Moon Singer and Sun-kissed, I, Yang Xiao Long, Sun goddess and divine of the Western Garden welcome you to my humble abode."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it.  
> Breathed into existence by inspiration from "then she faced the sun" by herwhiteknight.
> 
> Mayhaps the first part of something a bit longer? I have ideas though uncertainty still looms.  
> Expect nothing, but who nose?


End file.
